VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A transient sex offender changed his plea to guilty in the February murder of Alycia Nipp, 13, on Tuesday, and will spend life in prison.
Darrin Sanford pleaded guilty to aggravated murder charges in the Hazel Dell girl's death, escaping a possible death penalty prosecution.
Sanford, 30, originally pleaded not guilty in Nipp's death. She was found stabbed to death in a field near her home on Sunday, Feb. 22.
His formal sentencing is set for June 22.
Sanford was arrested on Monday, Feb. 23, one day after Nipp's body was found. He was charged with aggravated first-degree murder based on his confession to Clark County investigators.
Prosecutors had considered seeking the death penalty. By changing his plea to "guilty" or "no contest," Sanford could avoid capital punishment.
The girl's family said Tuesday they were relieved they would not have to endure the details of the case in a trial.
Sanford admitted to violently beating Nipp and attempting to rape her, according to a search warrant.
Sanford told police he met the young girl in a vacant field, walked her to an isolated area and tried to have sexual intercourse with her.
When Sanford could not complete the sexual act Nipp "giggled at him," according to his statement to detectives. He went on to say that her laughter enraged him and he hit her repeatedly, knocking her to the ground.
Sanford told investigators he could not recall what he beat Nipp with but that he left her lying in the vacant lot, and returned later in order to move her body so that she would be found.
A medical examiner determined that Nipp died from multiple stab wounds.
Detectives said Sanford was being monitored and tracked by the Department of Corrections with a GPS ankle monitor. That device confirmed he was in the area and his movements at the time of Nipp's death.
Sanford had been living in a nearby abandoned house, police said.
He was convicted in 1998 for attempting to lure children from a Vancouver playground the year before and was listed as a "Level 3" sex offender at the time of Nipp's death.
KGW Reporters Kyle Iboshi and Teresa Yuan contributed to this report.
